Retention of radio resource connection for short message service message delivery in a cellular telephone network

Abstract

A radio resource connection in a successfully authenticated transaction is retained and utilized for other deliveries without requiring performance of paging or security related functions (such as authentication, assignment and ciphering). Responsive to a successfully authenticated transaction, a message is generated indicating that an addressee mobile station is available for attempted redelivery of a stored short message service message. In one implementation, the message is then retrieved and delivered to the mobile station over the retained radio resource connection. In another implementation, all other transactions are provided to the addressee mobile station over the retained radio resource connection, with the retrieved short message service message being subsequently delivered over the retained radio resource connection in a parallel transaction.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A mobile telephone system, comprising: 
       a service center for storing undelivered short messages addressed to mobile stations and for sending those stored short messages to mobile stations; and  
       a mobile switching center operating to:  
       detect availability of an addressee mobile station to receive a stored short message, said availability detected as a result of the establishment of a radio resource connection with the addressee mobile station and the use of that established radio resource connection to engage in a successfully authenticated transaction with the addressee mobile station comprising an incoming/outgoing addressee mobile station telephone call over that radio resource connection;  
       retain the radio resource connection of the successfully authenticated transaction following completion of that transaction; and  
       deliver the stored short message sent from the service center to the addressee mobile station over the retained radio resource connection.  
     
     
       2. The mobile telephone system as in claim  1  wherein the successfully authenticated transaction is ongoing at the time of short message delivery to the addressee mobile station, and the mobile switching center delivers the stored short message sent from the service center to the addressee mobile station over the retained radio resource connection in a parallel transaction. 
     
     
       3. The mobile telephone system as in claim  1  wherein the mobile switching center further includes a timer for timing a time period during which the radio resource connection of the successfully authenticated transaction is retained to permit delivery of the short message or another transaction to the addressee mobile station. 
     
     
       4. A mobile telephone system, comprising: 
       a service center for storing undelivered short messages addressed to mobile stations and for sending those stored short messages to mobile stations; and  
       a mobile switching center operating to:  
       detect availability of an addressee mobile station to receive a stored short message, said availability detected as a result of the establishment of a radio resource connection with the addressee mobile station and the use of that established radio resource connection to engage in a successfully authenticated transaction with the addressee mobile station comprising a registration with the mobile telephone system by the addressee mobile station over that radio resource connection;  
       retain the radio resource connection of the successfully authenticated transaction following completion of that transaction; and  
       deliver the stored short message sent from the service center to the addressee mobile station over the retained radio resource connection.  
     
     
       5. A mobile telephone system, comprising: 
       a service center for storing undelivered short messages addressed to mobile stations and for sending those stored short messages to mobile stations; and  
       a mobile switching center operating to:  
       detect availability of an addressee mobile station to receive a stored short message, said availability detected as a result of the establishment of a radio resource connection with the addressee mobile station and the use of that established radio resource connection to engage in a successfully authenticated transaction with the addressee mobile station comprising a call independent supplementary service provided to the addressee mobile station over that radio resource connection;  
       retain the radio resource connection of the successfully authenticated transaction following completion of that transaction; and  
       deliver the stored short message sent from the service center to the addressee mobile station over the retained radio resource connection.  
     
     
       6. A mobile telephone system, comprising: 
       a mobile switching center operating to:  
       establish a radio resource connection with a certain mobile station and use that established radio resource connection to engage in a successfully authenticated transaction with the certain mobile station other than a short message service origination or termination over that radio resource connection;  
       retain the radio resource connection of the successfully authenticated transaction following completion of that transaction; and  
       subsequently deliver an incoming telephone call to the certain mobile station over the retained radio resource connection.  
     
     
       7. The mobile telephone system as in claim  6  wherein the successfully authenticated transaction comprises a registration with the mobile telephone system by the certain mobile station. 
     
     
       8. The mobile telephone system as in claim  6  wherein the successfully authenticated transaction comprises a call independent supplementary service provided to the certain mobile station. 
     
     
       9. The mobile telephone system as in claim  6  wherein the mobile switching center further includes a timer for timing a time period during which the radio resource connection of the successfully authenticated transaction is retained to permit delivery of the incoming telephone call to the certain mobile station. 
     
     
       10. The mobile telephone system as in claim  6  further including: 
       a service center for storing undelivered short messages addressed to mobile stations and for sending those stored short messages to mobile stations; and  
       wherein the mobile switching center further operating to:  
       detect availability of the certain mobile station to receive a stored short message, said availability detected as a result of the establishment of the radio resource connection with a certain mobile station and use that established radio resource connection to engage in the successfully authenticated transaction other than a short message service origination or termination; and  
       deliver the stored short message sent from the service center to the certain mobile station over the retained radio resource connection.  
     
     
       11. The mobile telephone system as in claim  10  wherein the delivered telephone call is ongoing at the time of short message delivery to the addressee mobile station, and the mobile switching center delivers the stored short message sent from the service center to the certain mobile station over the retained radio resource connection in a parallel transaction. 
     
     
       12. The mobile telephone system as in claim  10  wherein the mobile switching center further includes a timer for timing a time period during which the radio resource connection of the successfully authenticated transaction is retained to permit delivery of the short message or another transaction to the certain mobile station. 
     
     
       13. A method, comprising the steps of: 
       storing undelivered short messages addressed to mobile stations;  
       detecting availability of an addressee mobile station to receive a stored short message, said availability detected as a result of the establishment of radio resource connection with the addressee mobile station and use that established radio resource connection to engage in a successfully authenticated transaction with the addressee mobile station comprising an incoming/outgoing addressee mobile station telephone call using that radio resource connection;  
       retaining the radio resource connection of the successfully authenticated transaction following completion of that transaction;  
       sending the stored short message to the address8ee mobile station; and  
       delivering the stored short message sent to the addressee mobile station over the retained radio resource connection.  
     
     
       14. The method as in claim  13  wherein the successfully authenticated transaction is ongoing at the time of short message delivery to the addressee mobile station, and the step of delivering comprises the step of delivering the stored short message sent to the addressee mobile station over the retained radio resource connection in a parallel transaction. 
     
     
       15. The method as in claim  13  further including the step of timing a time period during which the radio resource connection of the successfully authenticated transaction is retained to permit delivery of the short message or another transaction to the addressee mobile station. 
     
     
       16. A method, comprising the steps of: 
       storing undelivered short messages addressed to mobile stations;  
       detecting availability of an addressee mobile station to receive a stored short message, said availability detected as a result of the establishment of radio resource connection with the addressee mobile station and use that established radio resource connection to engage in a successfully authenticated transaction with the addressee mobile station comprising a system registration by the addressee mobile station using that radio resource connection;  
       retaining the radio resource connection of the successfully authenticated transaction following completion of that transaction;  
       sending the stored short message to the addressee mobile station; and  
       delivering the stored short message sent to the addressee mobile station over the retained radio resource connection.  
     
     
       17. A method, comprising the steps of: 
       storing undelivered short messages addressed to mobile stations;  
       detecting availability of an addressee mobile station to receive a stored short message, said availability detected as a result of the establishment of radio resource connection with the addressee mobile station and use that established radio resource connection to engage in a successfully authenticated transaction with the addressee mobile station comprising a call independent supplementary service provided to the addressee mobile station using that radio resource connection;  
       retaining the radio resource connection of the successfully authenticated transaction following completion of that transaction;  
       sending the stored short message to the addressee mobile station; and  
       delivering the stored short message sent to the addressee mobile station over the retained radio resource connection.  
     
     
       18. A method comprising the steps of: 
       establishing a radio resource connection with a certain mobile station and using that established radio resource connection to engage in a successfully authenticated transaction with the certain mobile station other than a short message service origination or termination over that radio resource connection;  
       retaining the radio resource connection of the successfully authenticated transaction following completion of that transaction; and  
       subsequently delivering an incoming telephone call to the certain mobile station over the retained radio resource connection.  
     
     
       19. The method as in claim  18  wherein the successfully authenticated transaction comprises a system registration by the certain mobile station. 
     
     
       20. The method as in claim  18  wherein the successfully authenticated transaction comprises a call originated supplementary service provided to the certain mobile station. 
     
     
       21. The method as in claim  18  further including the step of timing a time period during which the radio resource connection of the successfully authenticated transaction is retained to permit delivery of the incoming telephone call to the certain mobile station. 
     
     
       22. The method as in claim  18  further including the steps of: 
       storing undelivered short messages addressed to mobile stations;  
       detecting availability of the certain mobile station to receive a stored short message, said availability detected as a result of the establishment of the radio resource connection with the certain mobile station and use that established radio resource connection to engage in the successfully authenticated transaction other than a short message service origination or termination;  
       sending the stored short message to the certain mobile station; and  
       delivering the sent short message to the certain mobile station over the retained radio resource connection.  
     
     
       23. The method as in claim  22  wherein the delivered telephone call is ongoing at the time of short message delivery to the certain mobile station, and the step of delivering comprises the step of delivering the sent short message to the certain mobile station over the retained radio resource connection in a parallel transaction. 
     
     
       24. The method as in claim  22  further including the step of timing a time period during which the radio resource connection of the successfully authenticated transaction is retained to permit delivery of the short message or another transaction to the certain mobile station.